May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month. It struck me that Asian American’s have and are playing an increasingly prominent role in shaping our media industry. What’s even more impressive is they’ve achieved a career in media, despite overcoming their Tiger Parents disappointment in them not becoming doctors or working in the family business!

So here’s my list of Asian American Media Mavens.

Hall of Fame News Broadcaster

Connie Chung broke through the news broadcasting ceiling by co-anchoring CBS Evening News all the way back in 1993. It’s a rarity these days not see a female presenter on national or local TV news channels, thanks to Ms Chung.

Shrewd-ist Ad Sales Exec

Geri Wang, President of ABC Sales. This Upfront, look for Geri to beat out some CPM increases from Agency Media Buyers.

Reality Media All Stars

This has to be a tie. American Idol hopeful William Hung was the first reality star that most fellow Asian’s would rather forget. His “She Bangs” performance helped foster American Idol notoriety and YouTube fame. But we at least were able to move on and progress, when America saw its first Asian American reality show winner when Yul Kwon managed to be last Survivor standing on the island.

Best of Asian American Media Tech Geeks

… at the top of that tree are Jerry Yang founder of Yahoo!, Steven Chen co-founder of YouTube, not to mention some budding new tech-preneurs such as Brian Wong, the youthful founder of Kiip. Also, I’m a fan of David Shingy, technically not American, an Aussie who’s definitely a forward thinker for the industry. Try to if you can, get the chance to hear him speak.

Actresses that make us laugh most

I met Lucy Liu at last year’s CBS Upfront party, currently starring as Watson in the delightful Elementary. But it was the Queen’s NY native role in Ally McBeal that to me was a break out for Asian American’s on television. The producers of that show chose not to type cast the sultry Asian mistress or kung fu kicking villian, but quirky Ling, surely the most interesting character on the show. I loved Mindy Kaling in the office and the delectable The Mindy Project. And I really like little known comedy Sullivan and Son, that just starting its second season on TBS this week, whose lead character is Asian. But the real star is Jodi Long who plays his Korean mom who probably breaks every rule in the PC Asian playbook, but leaves me laughing out loud.

Best Asian Hunk

According to my wife, Daniel Dae Kim.

Most powerful Media Owners in the Future

The arguably the most powerful Asian American’s that may inherit the media world might be two teenagers … Grace & Chloe Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch and Wendy Deng’s two daughters, who potentially could inherit a significant portion of NewsCorp and 21st Century FOX empires.

Immersion Is Worth the Trip, Says Mindshare CEO Antony Young

In a world where everything at CES is blogged, posted on YouTube or tweeted, you could be excused for questioning the value of making the trek to the scrum in Las Vegas each January.

But the difference between attending CES and reading about it is like the difference between going to a football game and watching it on TV. Like a football game, actually, CES offers massive crowds, underwhelming food and good odds you’ll miss something from your limited perspective. All that said, however, nothing beats just being there.

The visibility and insight you garner from being up close to the players, sharing conversations with other knowledgeable spectators and the encounters outside the main event, in my mind, make this a “must attend” venue for marketers.

So why is CES a valuable event and what does it bring for marketers?

It’s a tech show, but really it’s about understanding how content will be consumed
CES 2012 really hammered home to me just how technology and media continue to intersect in new ways. Tablets, smartphones, notebooks, TVs and the odd internet-enabled fridge are portals to entertainment, media and social interactivity. Smart mobile devices are poised to become the lead media consumption platform sooner or later. With a truckload of smarter, interconnected, smaller and cheaper mobile devices being showcased at CES, consumers will expect content to be smarter, on the go and 24/7. This is disrupting the way marketers have to think about creating and distributing marketing content.

But consumers are also going to be seeking free content to make the most of their new devices’ capabilities. I predict this will be the biggest opportunity for marketers in 2012.

There’s value in getting wet
Across their busy work schedules, marketers have been accustomed to getting information in drips: The odd article off a news feed, a chance meeting or visit by a vendor, a one-off panel at a conference or a half-year agency update on the latest media trends. Information comes dribbling in like a leaky tap. But CES is like standing under a high-pressure shower head that immediately gets you totally soaked. That’s when you really start to immerse in the media world and think more about taking action instead of being a spectator.

Speed dating … CES style
It’s what happens outside the exhibit halls that really adds value to the week. The likes of Facebook, Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft and Twitter were all in attendance again this year, bringing their top execs to town. The clients that chose to attend the conference got to hear firsthand the latest offerings in a Silicon Valley-meets-upfronts-style event. I was impressed with AOL’s Huffpo HD, its venture into online social TV, a fresh alternative to a tired television model in need of updating. There were plenty of sidebar conversations that offered more individual and specific conversations for clients’ brands.

A chance to set New Year’s resolutions
Because CES takes place in early January, it gives marketers and agencies the opportunity to jointly engage in discussions at the start of a new year and lay down some resolutions. It’s a great platform to set some big goals about how you’re going to change and embrace the shifting landscape … a potential catalyst to make one or two big ideas happen.